E3 2016: Day 1 – EA Sets the Tone

E3 our gaming Mecca is upon us, it feels like each year it gets here earlier and earlier. The world famous expo kicked was kicked off today by none other than EA and was then followed up by Bethesda later in the evening. Both conferences were jam packed with amazing announcements.

EA set the tone by announcing a few safe bets we knew were coming. Madden 17 looks like it does each year. Minor improvements and feature additions. There’s nothing much to write home about except the added emphasis on E-sports baked into the game. Players can now compete in different tiers of competitive play for prizes and can even organize their own tournaments.It’s about time we start seeing the developer acknowledge its sports games professional competitive scene as it has been around for years.

EA’s Fifa 17 looks like the return to form Futbol fans have been waiting for. Graphically the game is running on the Frostbite engine giving it a extremely realistic look and allowing for more dramatic facial animations. Fifa 17 will need the extra horsepower since it will be burrowing from NBA 2k16 cinematic career mode. Fifa 17 will let players live through all the highs and lows that the real pros experience. I’m not to thrilled with the direction these sports games are all headed in with all the emphasis on story modes.

We all know the debacle that was last years Battlefront. Decent game, but so bare bones without a single player game. Well this time there’s no movie launch to coincide with so we’ll be getting a single player game to expand on the Star Wars universe. This time around We won’t be playing the game until 2018 so there’s plenty of time to make a great game.

EA is also giving smaller indie studios the chance to show what they’re made of. With Fe’s announcement. The small Swedish studio Zoink Games says that Fe will revolve around a young cub finding it’s way around the wilderness using sounds, discovery and exploration. Fe will also be a game where players must learn about their surroundings without contextual clues to guide them to their next location. Exploration is the key here.

We saw more Battlefield 1. This time with a gameplay trailer. I was floored I haven’t seen a first person shooter look this intense ever. The chaos is beautiful. The move back to World War I is a welcomed change in my opinion. We’ve never had powerful hardware that could really show the destruction and chaos the world experienced during World War I. If done well this could be one of the best Battlefield games to date. And yes the game continues to the Battlefield tradition, it looks beautiful.

EA then pulled out the big guns, literally. Titanfall 2 was officially announced. And yes I am excited. Even though the original wasn’t all I wanted it to be I still enjoyed it. Yes, I am a whore for all things mech. This time around we’ll be getting a real single player game campaign. Not much is known at this time regarding the story, but we do know that it will show us the bond formed between Titan and pilot. What we do see in the above trailer is a melee Titan busting out some cool kung-fu moves.

There’s also the multiplayer trailer that shows the fast paced action that we’re use to. The Titan on Titan violence looks phenomenal and my favorite part of the entire thing is watching a Titan fling it’s pilot across the map in order to help the pilot across a huge gorge. October 28th can’t come soon enough as I’m ready to strap back into my Titan.

Then there’s EA big Kahuna, the game most fans have been waiting to hear about! Mass Effect: Andromeda. While it’s an early glimpse I’ll take anything at this point!

Into all things deemed nerdy. I have a deep passion for creating. If I’m not busy managing multiple networks, you’ll find me doing anything from writing, gaming, reading comic, or lifting heavy things and putting them down in a gym.